assassination

[uh-sas-uh-ney-shuhn]

noun

1. the premeditated act of killing someone suddenly or secretively, especially a prominent person.

   The meticulous way in which the journalist's assassination was carried out has led to suspicions that his killers were professionals working for state security.

2. the act of destroying or harming treacherously and viciously.

   They went after me with everything they had, engaging in character assassination and in destroying my reputation—a complete fabrication and frame-up.

Other Word Forms

• counterassassination noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of assassination¹

assassin(ate) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

His home address was posted online following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

Read more on Salon

Five people have been detained after an alleged attempted assassination of Ecuador's president, according to the government.

Read more on BBC

The back will depict the famous fist pump pose from his 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, along with the words “fight, fight, fight.”

Read more on Salon

There have been a series of political assassinations in the USA so far in 2025, and there were around 500 mass shootings across the country in 2024.

Read more on BBC

Two men found guilty of a "planned assassination" in County Down have been sentenced to at least 24 years in jail.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• bloodshed 
• crime 
• destruction 
• felony 
• homicide 
• lynching www.thesaurus.com
• manslaughter 
• massacre 
• shooting www.thesaurus.com
• slaying www.thesaurus.com
• terrorism